Control device



July 27, 1954 G. A. BOECK ETAI- CONTROL DEVICE Filed Aug. 14, 1950 JNVENToRs, 6. A. 505m( 5050A/ J. Hon/Afm.

Patented July 27, 1954 CONTROL DEVICE" Gunther A1.. Boeck, Mountain4A Lakes,l N. J., and? Edson J.\Howard, Flushing., N. Y., assignors,

by mesne assignments, torthe United States of America ask represented by! the .Secretary of:v the Army ApplicationAugust 14, 1950; SerialNo.179334l The present application is. related to Patent No. 2,479,465, datedl August;- 16, 1949,. issued? in the name ofthe present applicants and assigned to the-BellTelephone Laboratories, Inc., in that the claims herein are claims. cancelledpursuant to a requirement of division, from the application filed-January ll, 1947, .Serial Number 720,222, which matured intothe-patent referred to above.

This invention relates to control devices and .more particularly tocontrol devices operable to control a plurality of rotatable memberssuch for instance as the motor shafts of a plurality of variable electrical devices.

Anobjeot ofthe inventionis to provide animiprovedi control apparatus by meanso'f which a plurality of'rotatable shafts may be: differently` aiiected and in accordance'with aV requiredprdgram byy selecting and operating al control member.

The-invention feature resides in a'relea'sable detentmeans.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view, in perspective', ofacont'rol apparatusembodying the invention and; shows the fronty of ay casing-type body;

Fig; 2 is a plan View showing the underside 'of the slidabl'e member.

In apparatus involving a plurality of; rotatable members requiredy to be rotated to1 differentes-y tentsto conditionvthe apparatus for certain1reduirements it is common practice to'. provide a separate means for facilitating the rotation* ofv each rotatable member required to be rotated'. In suchv cases several operationsarel required to condition the apparatus to meet: the require;-

ments since each rotatable membersmust-be separately operated; To reduce the number of operations required-'to rotateaplurality'of rotat'- able members the rotatable members are'in some casesvarrangedffor. operation by Ymeans'tof; a ysingle rotatableshaft common to the plurality of' rotate able members, mechanical drives. being provided between` the Asingle shaftv andthe: rotatable mem-- bers. the rotatable members in mechanical driving connection therewith are rotated. In somecases thev structures. and arrangementsv of the. various parts are such that the rotatable. members are.

rotated in different ratios of movement, the ratios of movement are fixed, however, and the same ratios prevail; under .all rotative-movementsapplied to the parts.v

In the present invention the control device maybe operated to cause a plurality of rotatable shafts to be opera-ted a-t different ratiosfor aff'ected in difler-entmanners by suitable selection and operation ofa rotatable member in: the controlI device.

As shown in Fig. 1v the control; deviceA I0. comiprisesv a-v casing type body I I-having an apertured When. the single shaft is rotated all of- 2 Claims. (01. M -527) Cif front/wall I2 and an apertured rear cover plate IIS-` Extending tlfiroughi the4 front Wall I2 and thee' rear' cover plate.- It. are' rotatable shafts. I4 and If which may be equipped with turnable knobs (not shown). to facilitate` rotation of the Eetent. means 2Q and 2|, shown inv Fig. 1,are providedV to normally hold: the. shafts I4 and I5; respectively in required? adjusted positions and aid. an operator in rotating the shafts-l and I5 in definite required step-by-step rotational move.- ments. The detent means 20 comprises a set of `spaced studs 22.'and a latch means i211!` having a slidable member 2e' operable to selectively -engage ther studs 22. The studs 22: are arcuatelyy arranged and mounted on a cup-type support' 25' arranged outside the'body I Il andextend normal tovthefront face of the body II. The slidable member Ellis frame-like in formY and is slida'bly supported in a mounting 2t: which is channel-shaped: in cross-section and hassan apertured boss` portion 2l extending from a block portion 23 formed on a base wall 2@ of the mounting. 25; The. apertured boss portion 2 is apertured to accommodate the shaft hi and is secured. to the shaft If by a set screw orother suitable securing means, not shown. A retainer bar 30 secured by suitable securing means 3I to the block portion 2`8-of the mounting textends iny overlapping relation-With side wallsBZ---Z of the slidable member 2'13' to retainV the slidable member 211r in the mounting 2G. the block portion 281and extendingA from: the boss portion 2 to one end. of the mounting 26 is a hollow cylindricalportion .33 in thebore of which is enclosed? a helical spring 3eproviding a pressurermember for a plunger tiene end of: which bears,l against the inner edge of an end wall 3S of the. slidableA member athe other end. of the plunger 3'5 being in engagement with .an outer end of the'helical spring Sii. The outer end portion of.. the end Wall 36 of the slidable. member ML istapered in; formA andthe. outer en'd` is recessed andlcutV` through at thebaseofi the recess as shown at' 3l tof iitl partly around a stud 22. The function of the helical spring 36 and the plunger` 35' is to constantly urgeV the slidable member'lengthwiseof'themounting 262 When the shaft ifi; is rotating relative'to' th'e cup-type support 25S and the outer end' eof the slidable member llfcomes into engagement W-itlia stud 2-2. thel slidable member 2lir ispressed. inwardly towardthe shaft I L and against the action of the v spring 313: by reason. of thel engagement of the outer end-.litI witha stud 22. The inward pressure is-continueduntil the recess 31 cornes into` register. with the study 22 atwhich pointthe stud- 2v rlts into thesrecess' 31 and hasa tendency to stop rotation" of the shaft. I if.. Since the outer Integral withy end 35 of the slidable member 24 is cut through at the base oi the recess as shown at 3l the outer end 3e comprises two half portions separated by an opening. The tWo half portions may be slightly sprung apart. The slidable member 24 and the engaged stud 22 cooperate to tightly latch the shaft |-4 against free movement and operate as a detent for the shaft |13. As the rea cess in the outer end 35 comes into register with a stud the pressure of the slidable member 24 against stud 22 forces the two halves of member 2d apart until all clearances against mounting 26 are eliminated. The detent means 2i for the shaft I is constructed somewhat along the general lines of the detent means 26 but does not have the cup-type body 25. A releasable holding means 38 is provided to hoid the slidable member 24 from engagement with the studs 39 at required times when free rotation of the shaft :l5 is required. The studs 39 correspond in general to the studs 22 but are mounted in spaced relation on a generally semicircular boss 49 on the outer face of the body The detent means 26 and 2| and their particular manners of operation will be subsequently more fully explained.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 the detent means 2| for the shaft i5 does not have the cup-type support 25, the studs 39 being mounted on a boss 4|! on the wall i2 of the body Il. A releasable holding means 38 is provided to withdraw and hold the slidable member |29 from engagement with the studs 39. The slidabie member |28 except for the inclusion therein of a pin |29 is constructed similar to the slidable member 24 in the detent means 2li. Extending through the mounting 29 is a pin |32 between shaft l5 and pin |29. Pivotally mounted about the pin |32 and on the underside of mounting 29 is a V-shaped latch |39 having legs |92 and |35, the inner periphery of said legs forming a crotch that receives pin |29 when slidable member is in engageable detent position. Along the inner edge of leg |313, a short distance from the apex of the crotch is a notch |39. Latch |39 is spring loaded by means of a spring |33, having one end secured to the frame by any convenient means and extending to and wrapped about the pin |32, the other end terminating on the leg |39 whereby latch |39, as shown in Fig. 1, is normally urged in a clockwise direction. A short distance from the terminal portion |5| of boss de, as shown in Fig. 1, is a lever |3| one end of which is mounted about a pin (not shown) extending into the wall |2. The other end of lever |3| is held by a spring |53, which normally urges lever |3| in a clockwise direction, the other end of said spring |53 being held by a bolt which is spaced from the lever and extends into the wall i2. Adjacent to the other terminus of boss 49 is a post |39 aiiixed to front wall |2.

In operation, as stated above, when pin |29 is within the crotch of latch |39, the slidable member |28 is in engageable detent position with any one of the studs 39. When member |28 is moved in an arcuate path from stud to stud by rotation of shaft l5, as tapered portion 35 rides over the circumference of the studs, member |28 is urged in a direction away from the studs. Upon rotating shaft l5 counterclockwise, as depicted in Fig. 1, so that member |23 is moved beyond the last stud 39, pin |29 hits lever |3| preventing further movement of said pin. Spring |53 of lever |3| serves to cushion level` |3| against the impact. Latch |39 meanwhile rides over the lever |3| and pivots slightly as a result of inertia force produced by the impact of pin |29 against lever |3|. This permits pin |29 to ride partially into notch |35. Latch |36 now being free to move is snapped in a clockwise direction by spring |33, the pin thereby being completely received in the notch. By this arrangement, slidable member |28 is locked in retracted or off detent position.

To release the slidable member |28 from its locked position to an engageable position, shaft i5 is rotated to move member |28 to the extreme clockwise position, as in Fig. 1. At this point, leg Sli of latch |39 strikes fixed post |39. The sudden impact causes latch |39 to rotate sufiiciently counterclockwise to permit pin |29 to move out of notch |39 into the crotch portion of the latch, thereby placing the slidable member into engageable detent position. This control device may be arranged so that when shaft |5 is rotated over all of its detent studs 39, shaft i4 with its cup-type support 25 and detent studs 22 will rotate nine-tenths of the distance between two detent studs 22. In order that the proper index may be read directly an indexing mask |31 is fastened to the cup-type support 25 so as to block out adjacent indexes.

This control device contains a ready interchangeable feature where several similar cuptype supports 25 containing different numbers of detent studs 22 may be interchanged by inserting in required relation with its respective rocker arm 42 which connects shafts |11 and l5 as shown in applicants Patent No. 2,479,465. Maximum flexibility is obtained by changing the shaft location of the rocker arm i2 without changing the other gears in the device or the decimal relation of shaft i5 to shaft M.

What is claimed is:

1. A control device comprising an apertured support, a shaft rotatably supported in said support, spaced studs arranged relative to said shaft, an apertured body secured to said shaft, a slidable member supported in said body and slidable therein and operable to selectively engage said studs, a recessed and cutthrough end portion on said slidable member to engage said studs and slightly spread apart, upon engagement with said studs when the recess is in register with a stud, and plunger means supported in said body and operable to urge said slidable member into engagement with said studs.

. 2. A control device comprising an apertured support, a shaft rotatably supported in said support, spaced studs arranged relative to said shaft, means supporting said studs, an apertured chan nel type body secured to said shaft, a slidable member supported in said channel type body and operable to selectively engage said studs, spring means supported in said channel type body and operable to urge said slidable member into engagement with said studs and releasable holding means for said slidable member operable to withdraw and hold said slidable member from engagement with said studs.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 481,785 Cravath Aug. 39, 1892 891,834 Gilmore, Jr. June 39, 1908 941,556 Brainard Nov. 30, 1999 1,194,480 Clum Aug. 15, 1915 2,916,149 Leach Oct. 1, i935 2,288,406 Kimball June 30, 1942 

